Describe Image
Describe any image in words with a vision model, briefly, in detail or in labeled sections, and send the text to prompts, captions or alt text.
The Describe Image node looks at an image with a vision model and writes a text description of it. You choose how much detail you want, or write your own question, and the node returns text for prompts, captions or alt text. The output is text, not an image.
When to use it
- Caption generated images for social posts or for accessibility.
- Turn an existing picture into a prompt, to make new images in the same spirit.
- Describe a reference image in labeled sections for later AI nodes.
- Write alt text automatically in a content workflow.
- Feed image descriptions into Generate Script to build a story around pictures.
Quick start
Add the node
Press Tab on the canvas and choose Image › Understand › Describe Image.
Connect the image
Drag from an image node, such as Upload Image or Generate Image, to the Image input.
Choose the detail
Open the settings panel and choose a Detail Level. To ask something specific, write it in Custom Prompt (optional) instead.
Run it
Click Run on the node. The description appears on the node, where you can copy it or download it as a text file. Wire the Text output into any node that takes text.
Inputs
| Input | Accepts | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Image | Image nodes, such as Upload Image, Generate Image and Modify Image | The picture to describe. Required. |
The output, Text, is the description. It connects to any text input, such as the Prompt input of Generate Image, Combine Text or Generate Script.
Settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Detail Level | Brief (1-2 sentences), Detailed (3-6 sentences) or Structured (labeled sections). The default is Detailed, which writes flowing prose. Structured returns the sections Subject, Setting, Colors, Lighting, Mood and Details. |
| AI Model | The vision model. The default is Claude Sonnet 4.6. The model sets the quality of the description and its price tier. |
| Reasoning Effort | How much the model reasons before it answers, on models that support it. The default is Auto (model default). |
| Advanced mode | Gemini models only. Runs the model on the provider directly, so that Temperature and Max Tokens take effect. Costs one credit tier more. |
| Custom Prompt (optional) | Your own instruction, up to 2,000 characters. When you write one, it replaces the detail level completely. |
| Pre & post text | Text that is always added before and after the instruction. It is hidden from people who use your workflow as an app. See Prompt pre and post text. |
When Custom Prompt (optional) is empty and you set pre or post text, that text becomes the whole instruction and replaces the built-in one.
When the node has more than one result, Result History in the settings panel lets you switch between them.
Start from a preset
Describe Image has factory presets for common jobs. Open the preset menu on the node and choose one:
| Folder | Presets |
|---|---|
| Accessibility & SEO | Alt Text, SEO Caption, Social Caption |
| Extraction | OCR, Tags, Product Description |
| Creative | Detailed Description, Reverse Prompt |
Read Presets to save your own.
Credits
A run costs 3 credits with the default model, Claude Sonnet 4.6. The price follows the tier of the model: economy models cost less and premium models cost more. Advanced mode moves the price up one tier. The Run button shows the exact price before you run.
Tips
- Brief for prompts with context. Use Brief when the description feeds a node that has its own context, such as a script generator.
- Structured for later nodes. Use Structured when later nodes need the subject, the colors or the lighting separately.
- Detailed for captions. Use Detailed for flowing captions and alt text.
- Ask for what you need. A custom prompt such as "Describe the fashion items in this image, with colors and materials" gives focused results.
- Keep the default instructions if you need them. A custom prompt replaces the built-in instruction. To extend the default behavior instead, include those instructions in your own prompt.
Frequently asked questions
Related
Describe to Picker
Image Critic
Generate Image
Combine Text
Presets
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